For the last 2 years i thought all was well with my breathing and now all of a sudden its a struggle to walk up the smallest of braes. I was giving steriods twice now for this and i am worried that unlike before they now longer work for me like before. When i used to take them 2 days later i was like YEH this is great and could walk no problem and so happy. I am so so worried as to why this is now. I dont smoke but still use my e-cig constantly so i dont know if this is the problem so has anyone else found this? I mean if steriods and antibiotics and also a tablet to gett rid of mucus doesnt work where can i go from here i am so worried now. Thank you for any replys to this
Yes, Margaret, that is troubling. I'm in the same boat: if it's flat, i can walk it at a rate of 2 - 2.5 miles/hour, or until my foot gives out. Except my lungs can't do that outdoors as outdoor exercise lands me in the emergency room if it's more than 20 minutes. My dog & i walk the aisles of big box home centers. Better than nothing; not proper stimulating exercise.
Is there anything blooming right now, or any new chemical or organic substance in the air, that could be causing this? (You must be Scots, talking of braes, but i don't know if you live somewhere warmer now.)
I hope someone can help you.
Thought of something else: do people burn lots of fires for warmth/cheer where you are? Smoke that never bothered me before just kills me now & i'm glad that only 1 neighbor has a fireplace.
Two more things, Margaret: This could be the 1st thing you notice when you're going into a flare up, and is the weather colder or is the humidity different from the past few weeks? Most likely, you need to go get this checked out and sooner than later.
I've found that any additions to the air that I breath causes me distress. So I recommend discontinuing the use of any inhaled substance. None of it is good for anyone.
Be honest with yourself/Dr. about your condition. Follow your Dr's orders and let him/her know if there is a problem. You may require more test or other procedures like an X-Ray or MRI.
I help control my mucus with non prescription Mucinex . It is a great help, but my insurance does not cover it. In addition, I use a Nebulizer and keep a Ventolin inhaler at the ready. Still I can't walk 10 feet without needing to stop to catch my breath. Oxygen is just out of my reach as my blood O2 levels do not meet the required low level.
My point is that many of us are battling with COPD and will be here to help support each other.
Best of Luck
Larry, in the States Costco sells the original generic guafenisen, Mucus Relief, at more or less the same price as in the mid-'90s: $10.99 for a box with 2 btls,200 tabs of 400 mg each. As i take 1200 mg twice daily, that $60 membership pays off before i'm through the 2nd month. Waaay cheaper than Mucinex and also cheaper than Target/Walmart etc. house brands. It can be ordered online, also.
helo margret sorry to hear your not so good, the hospital have now changed my inhalers to a 3 in 1 called trimbow, as i wasnt doing so good on others, it could be the time of the year smoke wind ect, or maybe meds need looking at, im no doctor just my bit of input, hope it gets sorted soon regards brian
HI Brian I was put on trimbow a few months ago along with my other pills and have noticed abig difference I used to have monthly flare ups but not had one for iver three month now Also a big difference in my walking although still breathless on bending Have you noticed any difference on using trimbow
thanks for reply james, iv only been on it since last thursday so a bit soon to notice (i expect) i was on braitus in morning and 2 puffs twice adayof qvar 100 i had the op to remove bullies from right lung 2 and half years ago but not so good last few weeks so going for scan on thursday, how bout you? do you have empherseyma copd whatever it it is a real bad deal lol brian
I have copd and been on meds for ten years but since I had pneumonia three year ago been attending respo clinic at hospital where a consultant sees you They know so much more than the local health centre but this trimbow has been really a life changer I no longer have to sit on edge of bath for a few minutes after a shower I can walk round assa without needing a trolley to lean on and put my socks on easier Sont get me wrong though I still get out of breath but can do the simpler things much easier now Hope it works for you soon All the best James
Thank you very much, I'll look into it soon. Guafenisen 400mg tabs.
Thanks again
I have never heard of Trimbow , it would help if i had an inhaler i could depend on while i am out, i had an easy inhaler which was hopeless then last time she gave me a SalamolCFC-Free inhaler but find this is no good either and doesnt seem to help at all.Also the 30 day inhaler you take only once in the morning called Anoro. Last time i saw her she said would be a progression of it, which scared me, really dont want to hear it. Have made another appt for the 11th for a full review. Thank you
helo margret, trimbow is a biuld up inhaler not an emergeny one if the salamol inhaler isnt working i think you nead to speak to your doctor, what i have learned from this illness is you cant bury your head in the sand you have to face it and then get the help you need, it will progress and in my humble opinion you have to progress with it, a couple of years ago some one on this site told me to be in control and dont let the illness controll you. I know its a rough deal but we all have it and we are all here for you brian
Hi meant to reply to you before now. Ha the thing that got me was the thing that you say about being Scottish as i said braes, its so funny as i always thought everyone said Braes so yes you are right i live in Dunfermline Scotland but if you dont say braes then what do you call them ? Well have been struggling now to get to work ect when i get there im okay but minute i go outside to walk again horrible even more so now its scarey to me. It then makes me so anxious so then that to wont help I clean houses so its weird i can do that but then cant make it to bus station so easy if i could drive would be okay. I do have Doctor tomorrow again and allready worried just about getting there mental only a small brae up to bus stop Not even my family know as they see me still working ect but dont see me struggling to get there and doctors are the same if you are not sitting in front of them wheezing they think your ok but dont see you trying to get there or walking up a couple of stairs. Well since steriods or other stuff no working i really dont know what they will do morn
Hi Margaret i have been like that a few times and its usually a flare up It wont go away itself Usually antibiotics plus steroids does the trick or I have been given the nebulizer at health centre as well as steroids and antibiotics and given oxygen sometimes so dont worry to much you will get sorted out ok As Brian said previously we learn and grow with the diseaseBut as soon as I feel anything coming on Icall the health centre soon as and say I have copd and having difficulty breathing I get seen that day Hope all goes well James
Thank you as I am so worried as hv had the antibiotics and Steriods and not helping x
Thank you as I am so worried as hv had the antibiotics and Steriods and not helping x
Oh, Margaret , my heart goes out to you & you're in my prayers. I hope you see this before you see the doc. You must be forceful to get him to understand that there's been big change, specifically that you can't do inclines. My guess is that you see a difference on stairs, also. Be persistent. Ask them to put an oximeter on you and to compare walking flat & climbing stairs. Explain that just a few months ago there wouldn't have been a difference. Be forceful, something has changed and yiu need help.
I'm being a little pushy here myself because i ignored changes in my coughing, for several years. I assumed it was just COPD progression. Maybe it was at first, but now it's bronchiectasis. I did not realize until after i was in hospital w/BX & pneumonia that i don't cough in the morning. ALL my medical appointments for 18 yrs have been in the morning. The only person who noticed the change was a friend in Canada with whom i talk late at night, by which time my cough would be awful. We've known each other all our lives & immediately notice any condition changes, limps, etc., whenever we see each other or talk on the phone. (I was about to remark that she must be drinking much more than 2 glasses of wine at dinner when she finally told me she had Parkinson's. )
Not everyone notices changes in others. Some of us are just built differently (both that friend's mom & mine were the same; none of our siblings are.) So, you must teach your family that things are changing & that you need their help. If nothing else you need them to go to med appointments w/you to say, Hey! Listen to my mom! She's getting worse!
I know that all that goes against Scots blood, calling attention to yourself and anything that might sound like complaining about health. I'm not asking you to post a bulletin in the paper, lol, just enlist the live of family & friends.
We call them hills or mountains, Margaret, depending on size & locale. Most anything seemed like a mountain when i was growing up on the below sea level Texas coast where it's nothing but flat. Braes is a much prettier term but we don't have much similar landscaoe in the States. Your rises just look different somehow.
I hope they help you Monday.
Hi went to see my COPD Nurse today so as i have had steriods twice since December and they are not helping she said i should perhaps go on inhaled steriods but then said to do an ECG and Chest X-ray first so have that tomorrow. Thing is then there is a two week wait to see what it says. So nothing to help me meantime.
Pardon my French, Margaret, but that is bull corn! Inhaled steroids are going to take time to become effective. Were you able to get the nurse to understand that this is a big change in what you can do? I believe they might have tried you on a different antibiotic & a different steroid immediately.
I imagine that you're feeling more stressed. If you can, look at this as a silly game from which you have an escape: if things get too bad, you will go to accident/casualty. In the meantime, your job is to practice whatever form of meditation that works for you every time you feel anxious.Some of the breathing exercises online are specifically intended to help calm both our breathing & anxieties. If you have to stop & rest 5 times to get up a hill, then stop and rest 5 times. Leave earlier, especially for the bus.
But by all means call that nurse back & give her what for. By her plan, it could be a month or more before a puffer helps you. If that particular inhaler isn't effective for you, this whole thing spins on and on and on. Explain that if things keep on as they've been, you'll end up in casualty when it could've been avoided. Write down what you want to say & don't let the nurse interrupt. This is important and right now, you must be a squeaky wheel for your health.
Am keeping you in my prayers. Let us know how you get on.